


the sun sets on paradise

by forever_and_always



Series: where the heart is [2]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Andrew Minyard Has Feelings, Established Relationship, Foster Care, Group Homes, Kid Fic, M/M, Soft Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, but nothing bad happens i promise, i don't have time for unhappy endings, kinda domestic fluff???, with a side of feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-12 00:44:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11725986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forever_and_always/pseuds/forever_and_always
Summary: Neil had grown used to how things were at the house, but now things were going to be changing---Or: Neil has his first experience with a child leaving Andrew's care, and he and Andrew have a little talk about the future.





	the sun sets on paradise

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place about a year after "a place to rest your head".
> 
> It will probably make for sense if you read that one first.
> 
> Shout out to everyone who kudo'd and left nice comments on the first part, you guys are the best.

For once, Neil didn’t have to leave. The off season had just started so he didn’t need to be back in Atlanta early the next morning. There were no team practices, and the only media obligations he had were set up through his agent. But even if Neil did have some sort of business to attend to, he was needed at the house more. Tomorrow would be a bittersweet day for everyone, a special and exciting day but a sad day nonetheless.

Levi was leaving in the morning.

From what Neil gathered, it had been in the works for a while now. When Levi first entered into the system, child services managed to track down his older, half brother who was living in London for graduate school. The brother, Alex, was willing to become Levi’s guardian, but he wanted to graduate first and be able to provide stability to his younger brother before he took on full responsibility. So Levi was passed from foster family to foster family because no one could handle the boy’s abundant levels of energy for long. When Andrew heard about Levi’s situation from the caseworker assigned to the house, he broke his own rule and took the boy in.  

Even Neil had months to prepare for the boy’s inevitable departure, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Then to the surprise of all the adults in the house, Andrew threw all caution to the wind and let Levi decide what they all should do together on his last day there. The boy choose to spend the day at the lake.

  
  


The day had been as perfect as it could have been. Neil arrived early in the morning, greeted sunnily by Madelyn who had just arrived home for the summer, and found everyone already loaded up and ready for the short hike down to the water. Robin volunteered to help Andrew and Neil so they weren’t too outnumbered, while Renee decided to stay up at the house with an inconsolable Patrick and a grumpy Alice. Their time at the lake was spent filled with smiles and laughter, the older kids indulging in whatever Levi wanted to do. They all knew their situation was different than Levi’s. The closest thing any of them had to family was Andrew, and Neil could tell they were trying hard to stay happy for Levi’s sake.

After hours of swimming and playing round after round of water Exy, the group took a break for a picnic lunch. There were fun stories told, and more laughter, and Neil enjoyed the chance to see Andrew wearing only swim trunks and a muscle tee. When they were done eating, Andrew made them all reapply sunscreen, earning him multiple eyes rolls but compliance from them. It was times like that made Neil wonder how many little moments he was missing out on when he was away.

Neil was just thankful now, that Levi wanted to spend his last remaining hours at the house close to Neil’s side.

By the time they trudged back up to the house to start on dinner, everyone was pink from hours in the sun and had skin wrinkled by the water. One of Levi’s requests for the day was to have pancakes for dinner, so Andrew sent the kids and Madelyn upstairs to take showers and cleaned up before they ate. Neil volunteered to stay and help Renee get a start on the elaborate breakfast spread that was planned, giving Andrew and Robin a chance to clean up too.

Andrew came back downstairs to the kitchen first. He stood off to the side and watched with an amused look on his face as Renee talked Neil through how to make a simple pancake batter. Neil was hopeless at cooking.

Andrew too pity on him and relieved him of his duties.  “You should go take a shower,” he said with a smirk. “You smell worse than the food you burned.”

Renee tried to hide her laugh, but halfway through she gave up, pretending to be hurt by glare Andrew sent her way.

“What’s so funny?” Neil asked.

“Nothing,” she replied. “But just be glad the other bet-making Foxes aren’t here right now.”

Neil left the kitchen soon after that since Renee and Andrew worked efficiently side by side, and Andrew was right, he really did need a shower.

Sarah, Renee, and Alice were the only ones not in the kitchen or sitting at the large dining room table. Robin had taken Renee’s place cooking and filling a huge bowl full of scrambled eggs, when she saw Neil enter.

Andrew glanced at him over his shoulder and raised and eyebrow when he recognized what Neil was wearing. If the sweats he had on were a little short in the legs and his t-shirt was slightly stretched at the collar and shoulders, then he had grabbed clothes from the completely wrong drawer on accident, or at least that’s what he would say if asked.

“Hey, Neil,” Robin said before he could escape to the table “do you mind making a bottle of formula? Renee said she was going to do it, but Sarah wanted to talk with her. Patrick’s set up at the table so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Uh, sure. That’s not too hard.”

Neil worked slowly, making sure it was perfect. Renee and Sarah, along with Alice, had rejoined them, and Andrew and Robin were sliding the last of the serving dishes onto the table. He handed off the bottle to Andrew and took his place beside him at the table, letting the chaos that was a family dinner surround him.  

For dessert, Andrew got out ice cream. Although no one else in the house shared the exact same level of love Andrew had for the cold treat, Missy and Dell’s eyes lit up with happiness, and Levi cheered at the surprise. Neil wasn’t the biggest fan of sweet foods on the best days, but he did steal a few bites from Andrew’s bowl during lulls in the conversation to please everyone.

Neil was happy at that moment, and he wouldn’t have asked for anything else.

On a normal night during the summer, there would be a movie night, but Levi used his influence to request having a marathon of Exy games. The boy sat himself as close to Neil as he could get and asked if Taze could sit next to him too.

“If Taze wants to, he can.”

The older boy nodded and climbed onto the couch. He still preferred to stay nonverbal most, but over the last few months he had grown more tactile seeking out comfort from either Andrew or Neil if he ever got too upset.

The others in the house chose their seats, and settled in to watch the games.

Sarah was the first person to leave having the weakest tie to Exy, Cecil left soon after too, not that interested in watching the game either. Andrew lasted one period before he rolled his eyes and soundlessly mouthed the word _Junkie_ in Neil’s direction, he disappeared from the room and only returned when there was a cry from the pack and play in the corner. Renee tried to get up and help, but Andrew didn’t let her, giving his old friend the rest of the night off.

Since they both played the sport, Dell and Missy stayed interested through the first full game, but by the start of the second game, they were yawning more than not. Alice had fallen asleep and Patrick was on his way to drifting off, so the teens took them upstairs so they could sleep better in a quiet room. Renee followed them out, leaving Robin and Madelyn, the only other adults, to watch the game.

Neil was comfortable on the couch and warm from where Levi tucked himself into the crook of his arm and Taze had slumped against his other side, content to sit in the dark room with only the commentators on the TV talking.

Renee suddenly appeared in front of Neil.

He must have dozed off at some point. The game was pause mid-play, freezing the players in their spots, and someone had carefully placed a thick blanket across Neil’s lap making sure Taze and Levi were covered too.  

She held her car keys in one hand and her sleeping son resting carefully on her other hip. “I came to see if you needed anything before I left” she said. “I need to get this little one to bed soon, and Robin came with me this morning so I have to drive her back too.”  

“No, I don’t need anything.”

“Okay, I was just checking. Goodnight, Neil.”

“Goodnight, Renee.”

She left, and Neil really didn’t want to get up. So he waited. He heard Robin and Renee talk quietly to each other as the passed by on the way to the front door. Neil knew the nightly routine enough to follow the pattern of Andrew’s footsteps as he made sure the house was properly locked up and the alarm was set. The sounds stopped, and Neil looked up from the boys on either side of him to see Andrew standing in the doorway.

“Your cats are in Dell’s room, so you don’t need to go looking for them,” he told Neil. Both his eyes and his voice were soft. The other man left before Neil could get out a reply. He listened then for the tell-tale wooden creaks signalling Andrew had retreated up the flights of steps.

When the TV screen faded into sleep mode, Neil decided it was time to go to bed. He carefully untangled himself from the limbs of Taze and Levi, kneeling down in front of the couch to wake them up. He didn’t dare touch them to shake them awake, instead Neil called their names as gently as he could manage until they stirred.

Taze sat up and stretched from being curled up for so long. Levi mirrored his actions with the addition of his mouth set in a frown as he asked Neil, “what time is it?”

“It’s late, bud,” replied Neil. “You should head up to bed. It’s going to be an early morning.”

Levi turned his head to look at Taze, his closest friend at the house, and when he turned back to Neil, he promptly burst into loud sobs. The boy lifted his arms up in an unspoken plea for a hug, and Neil answered by pulling him in as close as he could from his awkward position on the floor.

A quick glance over told Neil that Taze wasn’t unaffected by Levi’s crying. “You can go upstairs, he’ll be okay,” Neil said gently to the older boy.

Taze looked reluctant to leave.

“We’ll be up there in a minute, okay?”

After a moment, he nodded and silently left the room. Neil rubbed soothing circles on Levi’s back like he had seen Andrew do in the past, and waited until his tears petered off to say anything else. He had grown used to being cried on in the last year or so, but it didn’t mean it hurt any less now than it did then. People liked to think Neil Josten was cold and heartless, like they thought Nathaniel was, and how they once perceived Andrew as being. But Neil did have a heart, and at the moment it was aching.  

“Can you look at me, Levi?” he loosened his hold on the boy, expecting him to pull away some. Levi just clung tighter. “Levi,” Neil said again to get his attention.

The young boy lifted his head from where it was pressed against Neil’s shoulder. His cheeks were flushed deep red and were stained with tear tracks.

Neil wiped them away with his thumbs. “Can you tell me why you’re crying?”

“I don’t want you and Andrew to be sad,” said Levi. His lip trembled with the threat of fresh tears.

“Why do you think we would be sad?”

“Because I’m leaving and then you’ll never see me anymore.”  

“Andrew and I could never be sad about you leaving because you’ll be with your family. Doesn’t Alex make you happy?” Levi nodded. “Then that makes us happy, and we’ve talked about this before, you can come visit whenever you want. Alex has Ms. Nolan’s number and Andrews, you can call us any time you want.”

Levi let go of him. “Thanks, Neil.”

“Why are you thanking me?” he asked, genuinely confused.  

“Because you're so nice to me. And you're so nice to Taze, and Sarah, and Dell, and Cecil and Missy, even though they aren't nice to you sometimes, and Madelyn, and Alice, and you're really nice to Andrew.”

Neil didn't know what to do with the boy's honesty. “I used to be a mean person, but I've been trying to be better. Everyone in this house makes me be a better person, Levi, and that includes you. I should be thanking you.”

Levi launched himself at Neil for another hug, but he wasn't crying anymore.

“Hey,” Neil continued. “We should go upstairs. Taze is probably worried about you, and tomorrow’s going to start early in the morning.”

  
  


Neil walked up the stairs behind Levi, watching to make sure he didn’t slip or fall while almost half asleep. He paused on the second floor landing and let Levi head to his room on his own. Taze was waiting in the hallway for his friend.

Before they could go close the door to Taze’s room, Neil called out to them. “Don’t stay up too late.”

“We won’t, Neil,” replied Levi. He closed the bedroom door, and the hall was empty with all the kids in their rooms.

The third floor of the house was just as empty. The door to Robin’s old room, which now belonged to Alice, was shut. Madelyn’s room was right beside it, and Neil could hear faint music playing from inside. He hoped it wasn’t loud enough to wake up Alice. She tended to be a light sleeper. The door to Andrew’s room was at the hall, on the opposite side from Madelyn and Alice. Neil could still remember the first time Andrew agreed to let him spend the night, and just thinking about the memories for a moment made his body flush. He knocked lightly on the wooden door before entering to go along with the rules the other man had set. The overhead light was off when Neil when he stepped inside, but the one lamp that was on cast the whole space in a warm, orange glow.

Andrew sat on the padded window bench silently staring out the window. From where moonlight streamed in from the parted curtains, Andrew’s face glowed and his hair resembled strands of finely spun silver. The image was ruined, though, when Neil spotted a bag of cheap chocolates laid haphazardly against the blond’s leg and a neat stack of discarded foil wrappers acting as proof to how many he had already eaten.

Neil joined him on the bench anyway, undeterred by Andrew’s beauty or his crutch.

“All the kids are in their rooms,” he said to Andrew. “They should be going to sleep soon.”

Andrew lazily dragged his eyes away from the window to look Neil. “No teenager goes to sleep when they’re supposed to.”

“I always did.”

A balled up piece of foil hit Neil chest.

“I don’t believe you were ever a teenager.”

“Well, I don’t think you were ever one either.”

Andrew paused, and for a second, Neil was worried he took it too far, but the other man just hummed in slight agreement and reached for another chocolate.

“What time did Ms. Nolan say she was coming to get Levi?” Neil asked.

“Nine.”

“So that means she’ll be pounding on the door before eight?”

“Yep.”

“I don’t know what I’d do if she ever showed up when she said she would.”

Neil laughed at his own lame attempt at a joke, but he also caught Andrew smiling privately for him. They lapsed into a second round of silence. Neil didn’t mind since it was the first time all day he was truly alone with Andrew.

“In the morning, I’m going to tell her I won’t be taking on any new kids.”

Neil froze.That was the last thing he expected Andrew to say.  “For how long?”

Andrew shrugged and turned his attention back to whatever was outside. “Until I change my answer to yes.”

They sat in silence again as long minutes ticked by. Andrew must have been more upset about Levi leaving than he was letting on. The bag of chocolates was long forgotten.

“I know it’s hard, but Levi’s going to be okay.”

“Neil.”

“Then is this because Alice-”

Andrew cut him off before he could finish his sentence, his eyes turned hard as he stared at Neil. “Alice has nothing to do this. You should think about being quiet before you say the wrong thing again.”

Neil didn’t want to stop, he wanted answers. The silence surrounding them wasn’t comforting anymore. If Andrew’s sullenness wasn’t caused Levi leaving or the complicated situation surrounding Alice, then there was really one other thing that would be the reason for his reaction.

“She’s going to be okay too,” said Neil. “Sarah,” he added for clarification, though none was needed. “I may not have finished college, and I know things weren’t perfect for you then, but you survived it. Going to college is the only thing that Sarah has wanted for herself in a long time.”

Andrew Minyard did not cry. That was a well known fact. But when he finally looked up at Neil, he looked just as vulnerable.  

“You don’t think I know that?” he replied, and it wrecked Neil to hear the tiniest of wavers in Andrew’s otherwise even voice. “I can’t protect them when they’re gone.”

“Maybe not, but you’ve shown them how they can trust again, that the world isn’t all bad.”

“I don’t deserve any of this.”

_You deserve the world._

Neil’s hands were still in his lap, but he wanted to reach out to comfort the man he cared deeply for sitting motionlessly in front of him. “Yes or no, Drew?” He waited until he heard a whispered _yes_ before he tangled his fingers in Andrew’s already ruffled blond hair. It was usually the safest place to touch him without explicit instructions. Neil watched as Andrew’s eyes slowly slid shut as he massaged gently at his scalp.

“Come on,” Neil spoke softly to not break the moment. When Andrew opened his eyes, Neil leaned in to chastely kiss him at the corner of his lips. Now wasn’t the time for anything more.  “Let’s go to bed.”

Andrew didn’t protest, letting Neil guide him to bed before he split away to change into something more comfortable to sleep in. By the time he was done, Andrew was curled in his normal position against the wall with the comforter pulled tightly to his body. Neil sat on the edge of their shared bed and contemplated turning off the light right away. There were so many other things he wanted to talk to Andrew about.

“Can I ask you a question?” he said to the lump on the bed that was Andrew.

Neil heard a muffled huff from beneath the blankets. “If you turn off the light and lay down, then yes.”

He reached over to the bedside table and with a quick click the room was plunged into darkness, but he didn’t move beyond that.

“What if I retired from Exy?” It was the first time Neil had said the words out loud, though it must have been a night for confessions.  

The seconds after felt a lot less momentous than he was expecting. The room was so quiet Neil could hear the hum of the air conditioning running, thumps coming from one of the kids’ on the floor below, and the faint chirps coming from the woods outside. Andrew still hadn’t said anything but then the noise of him shifting around in bed joined the mix. A hand brushed against Neil’s arm, sliding down until it found Neil’s wrist, then it tugged him down so he was laying on his side facing Andrew. He was close enough that he could feel the other man’s warmth, but their only point of connection was where their hands still clasped each other.

“I didn’t realize you were going to ask a stupid question,” Andrew said at last. “I thought Exy was your life.”

Neil tried to find the outline of Andrew’s face in the dark. “I thought so too once, but I think now it’s no longer what I live for. Since I broke my collarbone, I keep remembering that I’m not straight out of the Nest anymore. I have more awards and medals than I can count, I have more money than I know what to do with, and I can still say I’ve played professionally longer than the Great Kevin Day, and maybe that’s enough. But every time I’m on the road or at my apartment I wish I was back here with you, or I think about how much I miss the kids.”

The room fell silent again, and Neil really wanted Andrew to say something.

“When,” was all he got in return, as in _when are you going to retire,_ like Neil had already decided. Maybe somewhere deep inside he had.

“I still have a couple years on both my current contracts. I don’t know what’s going to happen after that.”

“Move into the house.” Andrew’s voice didn’t give anything away.

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

“Does it matter?”

Neil briefly squeezed Andrew’s hand, but he wanted to kiss him more. “No, I guess it doesn’t, but it’s going to be complicated while I’m still playing.”

“Things are always complicated with you.” There was no bite to his words. “I only asked you so I wouldn’t have to take care of your cats anymore.”

“I thought it was because you like me.”

“I never said that. But I do like to sleep, and that’s what I thought we were supposed to be doing right now.”

Neil couldn’t help the smile, he didn’t need Andrew to say it to know how he felt, because Neil felt the same way. In the moment of quiet between them, he took the plunge and carefully slotted his body along Andrew’s softer form. Now he could feel Andrew’s breath touch his cheek.

“Yes,” Neil whispered.

“To what?” Andrew’s voice was quieter than Neil’s.

“To everything.”  


**Author's Note:**

> Y'all I love Levi. But don't worry, its not the last we're going to see of him. Also, who's Alice??? Why is there suddenly a new person in the house??? All your questions will be answered later...
> 
> Fun fact! Levi's name was originally going to be Alex but Things Happened so now his name is Levi (and I used Alex for his brother.) 
> 
> Second fun fact! Neil's two cats have lived with Andrew at the house for a while now (bc the kids love them and it makes it easier for him during roadies). Madelyn also has a cat named Princess (a total coincidence) who hates Sir and King, because she also lives with Madelyn while she's at college. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! I have a lot planned out for this series, but if there's something you might like to see, don't be afraid to ask. I'd love to know what everyone thinks, and as always, comments are greatly appreciated!
> 
> You can find me @moonywaitup on tumblr and feel free to come cry with me about these boys.


End file.
